Scottish Executive

Adoption

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to measures to support prospective adopters through the initial stages of the adoption process.

Mr Jack McConnell: Adoption can often be a complex process both for the child and the prospective adopter. To tackle this and other concerns, I established an adoption Policy Review earlier this year with the aim of modernising the system. The remit includes the recruitment, selection and assessment of prospective adopters. The first stage of the review is due to report to me by the end of November 2001.

  Draft National Care Standards for adoption services are currently available. Standards 24 to 37 cover the service adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents can expect. They include requirements for prompt and comprehensive responses and decisions, and for provision of specialist support from experienced social workers.

BSE

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Executive has made of UK research into the incidence of BSE in sheep.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is advised by Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee on the UK’s research and surveillance programme for possible BSE in sheep. That research is on-going and is likely to be expanded in an effort to understand the many uncertainties which surround this issue.

Cancer

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking into any link between increased levels of skin cancer and the use of sun tanning parlours.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Melanoma Group monitors the incidence of and outcomes for skin cancers in Scotland.

  Published research evidence suggests that excessive use of artificial sun tanning apparatus is associated with increased risk of melanoma.

Economy

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3669 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 28 June 2001, whether there is now a target rate of growth for the Scottish economy and whether it expects the long-term trend rate of growth to rise, fall or stay the same in the coming five years.

Peter Peacock: The Executive does not have a target rate for economic growth in Scotland and does not make economic forecasts.

  What is important is that the Executive is addressing the underlying conditions for growth and prosperity in the modern economy. We are set upon raising Scotland’s global profile, improving our connectivity, exploiting our research strengths and aligning our skills to the knowledge base. We are also taking action in relation to Scotland’s education and its infrastructure. All are critical to our longer-term economic performance and it is right to seek to improve such conditions at all times.

  We are currently designing specific targets for the key elements on the enterprise side that will bring better productivity and growth.

Education

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses the distinct educational needs of children in remote and rural areas to ensure that an appropriate quality of services is provided.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 requires that local authorities provide education directed to achieving the fullest potential of the child or young person. The distribution of resources from the Executive to support local authorities takes account of rurality and deprivation indicators. It will therefore be the responsibility of local authorities to assess the educational needs of all children and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education will ensure they are doing this through their inspection programme.

Enterprise

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of small- and medium-sized business failures in the first three quarters of this year has risen in comparison with the same period in 2000.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: Official statistics on insolvencies for the third quarter of 2001 are not yet available.

  In the first half of 2001, DTI data show that there were 307 company liquidations and 1,459 individual sequestrations in Scotland. In the first half of 2000, the respective figures were 289 and 1,502.

  It should be noted that not all individual sequestrations are associated with business failures.

Enterprise

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with DAKS Simpson in Larkhall and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire following the announcement that the factory is to cease manufacturing in spring 2002.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: My officials have been in regular dialogue with both DAKS Simpson and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire. Wendy Alexander also met GMB and STUC representatives on Monday 22 October 2001 to discuss this issue.

Freedom of Information

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any correspondence from individuals seeking access to police road traffic accident reports under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill.

Iain Gray: No, but the Scottish Executive has received correspondence about whether police road traffic accident reports would be accessible under the proposed Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill.

Gaelic

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to address the current shortage of Gaelic-medium teachers following the recently announced £1 million extra investment in Gaelic broadcasting and teaching.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive is supporting the development of an initial teacher education course specifically for Gaelic-medium primary teaching and is funding an extra 10 student places at Strathclyde University in session 2001-02 to support primary Gaelic-medium provision.

  As a result of these measures, it is forecast that a total of 24 students able to teach in primary Gaelic-medium will qualify from teacher education institutions at the end of academic session 2001-02. This is double the number of students who qualified last year and will boost Gaelic medium teacher numbers considerably.

  In addition, the current campaign to recruit more teachers includes TV advertising to coincide with Gaelic programming, advertisements in the Gaelic press and key pages of the supporting website will soon appear in the Gaelic language.

Mental Health

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking any action to reduce the stigma of suffering from mental health illnesses.

Malcolm Chisholm: Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change  commits the Executive to looking for ways to address the stigma which can attach to poor mental health and to investing £4 million over three years in a campaign to promote positive mental health and well-being. On 8 October 2001 I announced that we would set up a National Advisory Group, supported by a programme co-ordinator, to oversee a programme of both short and longer term actions to this end. An early focus will be on measures to address stigma.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held any discussions with the Scottish Prison Service regarding its contract with Premier Prison Services to run Her Majesty’s Prison, Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Prison Service, which is part of the Scottish Executive has meetings, as necessary, to manage the contract with Premier Prison Services to run HMP Kilmarnock.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the First Minister what progress is being made in improving and expanding public transport at a local level.

Henry McLeish: Sarah Boyack announced the biggest single investment in public transport across Scotland on Monday awarding over £75 million to 26 projects. This follows an extra £100 million spent in three previous rounds of the Public Transport Fund and demonstrates the Executive’s commitment to making a difference to public transport for the people of Scotland.

Race Relations

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any timetable for implementation is being prepared in response to the Race Equality Advisory Forum report, Making it Real: A Race Equality Strategy for Scotland .

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive will publish its response to the Race Equality Advisory Forum (REAF) report by the end of January 2002. This response will detail work in hand, and plans for further action based on the report’s recommendations.

  However, responsibility for implementation of the recommendations goes wider than just the Executive. We will therefore be working with other organisations over the coming year to take forward the agenda mapped out by REAF.

Renewable Energy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the hydroelectric power production of British Alcan at Kinlochleven and Fort William will qualify for the incentives to be introduced as from 1 January 2002 under the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Draft Order 2001.

Rhona Brankin: No final decisions on the detail of the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) have yet been taken. A statutory consultation exercise has just ended, and as part of this, my officials are meeting with representatives from British Alcan to discuss that company’s views about support for renewable energy.

Sexual Offences

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to modify the definition of a "vulnerable witness" in relation to adolescent and adult complainants in cases involving sexual assault.

Iain Gray: The Executive intends to issue a Consultation Paper on protection of vulnerable witnesses early in 2002. This will look at the issue you raise. We will decide whether changes to the law are needed following the consultation.

Student Finance

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to simplify the system of student financial support.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: We have introduced a number of measures which have simplified the system of student financial support. We have aligned the levels of support in both sectors so that students in comparable circumstances will receive the same rate of maintenance support, which will be subject to a contribution from their parents or spouse above the same income threshold.

  The process of applying for student support for students in higher education has also been simplified. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland has established an electronic link with the General Register Office which removes the need for most applicants to submit original birth certificates. A system of sample checking income details has reduced the volume of supporting documentation that students and their families have to provide. The agency is also developing a system which will eventually allow student support applications to be made via the internet and to be processed almost automatically. In addition, we are integrating the two existing systems of support for pre-registration nursing students.

  The student support system in higher education will also become more simple over the next few years as new students increasingly fall within the new arrangements introduced this year and the various pre-existing schemes fall out of use.

Waste Management

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Area Waste Plan for the north east to be finalised.

Rhona Brankin: The North East Area Waste Plan is currently expected to be published for two months public consultation in March 2002 prior to finalisation.